It still feels like summer just got started, but I got a wakeup call the other day while walking through the seasonal aisles at my local Brookshire’s store. The back-to-college goodies are already in stock!

Having already gone through the process of sending my own daughters off to school, I know what an overwhelming time this is for parents and college students, especially new freshmen or those leaving home for the very first time.

Aside from the emotion of starting a brand new life, and taking a very big step toward adulthood, there are the actual logistics involved in setting up a new home. Some things – computer, new bedding, photos of family and friends – are a given. But the rest is a big tossup. What’s going to fit in that little dorm room or new campus apartment? What can I scavenge from the parents or grandparents, and what will I need to buy new? What can I absolutely not live without?

Again, as a mom who’s been through this, I can tell you it’s important to make sure your child takes a few things that both make them feel at home and make their lives easier. (They’re going to be stressed enough already!) We selected some special items for our seasonal aisles with the comfort and happiness of new students in mind:

Big Boss Grills: Even if your student never mastered much beyond pushing the buttons on the microwave, you can be assured they can feed themselves if they have one of these counter cookers. It’s a grill, a griddle, a waffle iron and a sandwich maker, all in one.

Big Boss Blenders: Just right for a student, this powerful blender makes single-serving smoothies, shakes or salsas. It even chops ingredients for salsas or grinds coffee beans.

Big Boss Rapid Wave ovens: A microwave alternative, this is a tabletop cooker that uses three kinds of power (halogen, convection and infrared technology) to cook foods without added oil. Again, this As Seen on TV item is a good solution for young adults who may not know much about cooking, but who don’t want to end up subsisting on fast food or cafeteria fare.

While you’re shopping, check out the seasonal aisles for things like Rubbermaid totes (great for packing up for the big move) and a couple of throw rugs from Garland Rugs, to add some homey warmth to that cold dorm room floor. And one more thing: I’d suggest laying in a supply of your student’s favorite study-time snacks, especially healthier, storable items like granola bars or roasted almonds. If you can’t be there when your student is stressing out during a 2 am study session, at least you know they’ll be well-nourished.

Our new house-roasted turkey is just what you’d make at home – if you had the time, the energy, and could bear to turn on your oven in this heat.

Now available at every Brookshire’s with a deli department, this turkey is roasted fresh right in the store.

We start with skin-on, whole-muscle turkey breasts. Our original, oven-browned version is minimally seasoned, so the flavor of the turkey really shines. For our Italian herb variety, we roll it before cooking in a custom-made blend of Italian herbs and spices, to give it a deep, aromatic flavor.

Then we slow-roast the turkey breasts in our ovens for more than two hours, until tender, juicy and flavorful. Finally, we slice it daily to your specifications, whether you’re planning to make sandwiches, use it to top a chef salad, or serve it to your family as a hearty main dish.

What’s important to me, aside from the great flavor, is what we don’t use. Just like a homemade bird, this turkey is prepared without any nitrates or nitrates, controversial preservatives that are common in many other commercial lunchmeats. (High consumption of nitrates and nitrites has been linked to some forms of cancer.) And we don’t use any weird artificial flavors or non-turkey additives. This turkey doesn’t need any of that stuff.

If you haven’t given it a try yet, here’s your chance: We’re offering it this week at $4.99 per pound, a $2-per-pound savings! And this Saturday, July 16, a number of Brookshire stores will be offering demos and free samples of this turkey. Check with your neighborhood store to see if they’re participating. And, of course, you can always ask for a sample of this, or any of our products, at your local deli counter. I’m pretty sure you’ll like what you taste.

I’m not going to lie and say pitting fresh cherries is easy. No, it can be slow and tedious, even if you have the technique down.

But this is work that’s worth it. Fresh, sweet cherries are such a treat, and so good for you. (A cup of fresh raw cherries is high in fiber, Vitamin C and antioxidants, which can help prevent cancer and heart disease.)

And this week, they’re such a steal: just $1.99 on sale at your neighborhood Brookshire’s! That’s as much as $5 off the regular price. And that’s also a pretty good incentive to learn how to properly pit a cherry.

Of course, sweet cherries are good just eaten out of hand, but if you want to use them in pies, cobblers, sauces or salsas, you need to master the art of pitting. You can buy special cherry pitting tools which makes the job much easier, by forcing out the pit in one move, but if you don’t have one, here are two techniques to try:

The paperclip method: Then, remove the first cherry’s stem. Insert a clean, unused paper clip into the hole left by the removed stem. Push paperclip deeper into the cherry, twisting, until you can feel the paperclip touching the pit. Gently scoop out the pit. (You can also use a toothpick, a thin bamboo skewer, a manicure stick or another small, sharp object, but paperclips seem to work best for most people.)

The knife method: Use a small paring knife to cut each cherry in half. You can then remove the pit with the tip of your knife or your fingers.

Don’t worry if your first few (or all of them) are a little mangled; they’ll still taste good. Then, once you’ve pitted them all, add to your favorite fruit salad or cobbler recipe. Or make this simple cherry sauce, to spoon atop ice cream or cheesecake.

Most summers, I end up eating my weight in watermelons. Not that that is a bad thing _ watermelon is the perfect dessert or snack when it’s so hot you don’t want to move, it’s loaded with antioxidants, and because it’s mostly water, it’s practically negative-calories.

Let’s review a few things you may not know about this fruit.

To thump or not to thump? Maybe if you’ve picked out a bunch of watermelons in your day, thumping is a good way to choose a ripe one. Supposedly, if you flick a ripe watermelon with your thumb, it will give off a hollow sound, meaning it’s ready to eat. For most of us, however, it’s hard to interpret that sound. Instead you can just look over the melon carefully. If the green stripe is dark green and shiny, and you can’t clearly see veins, it’s good and ripe. Also, choose a melon that is heavy for its size, without any bruises, cuts or dents. One side also should have a creamy yellow spot from sitting in the patch, ripening.

Good for you: Because it’s mostly water and relatively low in sugar for fruit, watermelon is low in calories, with just 80 calories in two cups. Watermelon also has high concentrations of lycopene, the same antioxidant found in tomatoes, which has been linked to reducing risk of cancer and heart disease.

A square melon? Have you ever seen a picture of a square watermelon? It wasn’t done in Photoshop. Japanese farmers have developed real square melons, by growing them in boxes. They taste the same, but are easier to store, stack, and ship.

Now that’s a big melon: Most watermelons you’ll find in the super market are under 40 pounds, and you can now even buy personal watermelons, which are usually under 5 pounds, or about the size of a big cantaloupe. But given time and the right pedigree, watermelons can get humongous. The title of world’s largest watermelon goes to a melon grown in Hope, Ark. It weighed in at 268.8 pounds.

The whole enchilada _err, melon: The entire watermelon is edible. You can roast the seeds, and the rind can be pickled, or turned into relish.

Think beyond the slice: Of course, many people think the only way to eat watermelon is by the slice. But their mild flavor is so versatile that they are great additions to salsa, salads, sauces and smoothies. Expand your watermelon repertoire with this refreshing salad, bursting with summer flavor:

In your family you probably have preferences on different food products. In my family the great debate is Betty Crocker versus Duncan Hines. If I need a quick cake I always rely on Betty Crocker, but my grandmother on the other hand will only use Duncan Hines. If there is any cake made from a mix you better believe there are a few jokes and discussions on the cake.

Having a few cake mixes in your pantry is not a bad idea. How many times have you been winding down for bed and realize you need to take a cake to work in the morning? In these situations you need a cake and you need it fast!

No need to run to the store or stay up late, just grab a cake mix out of your pantry. Betty Crocker Cake Mixes are on sale at Brookshire’s this week! Pick up a box or two because you never know when you may need one!

Blueberries are delicious in pies, tarts, smoothies and even by themselves. Adding blueberries to muffins and cakes can boost the nutrition of your meal!

Blueberries are a good source of fiber and are high in vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese. They have an excellent NuVal score of 100, which you can not beat! Pick up some blueberries on sale at Brookshire’s! Need recipe ideas?

Pick up a June issue of Celebrate Cooking, which features blueberries!

It’s time to make your pennies count with our Buy One Get One For A Penny Sale! Take advantage of this sale with Buy One Get One For A Penny products such as: Boneless Pork Chops, Bagged Russet Potatoes, Grape Tomatoes, Doritos, Cheez-It Snack Crackers, Lean Cuisine Entrees, Mrs. Baird’s Bread and Scott Tissue. So start counting your pennies and save!

“You Save!” That’s the headline on this week’s Brookshire’s Memorial Day ad showing me how I can save money on my groceries! It’s easy to save by looking for the red advertised special tags throughout the store.

These red tags show me the great advertised price and then the incredible savings printed right below, so I know I’m getting the best price possible. So when shopping for your Memorial Day needs, look for the hundreds of red advertised special tags and you’ll see your savings REALLY add up.

Hebrew National brand beef franks have become a big hit at my house, especially when I prepare them on the grill. I noticed on the second page of this week’s ad that Brookshire’s is giving me a FREE bottle of ketchup when I buy my favorite franks. That’s right – I get a FREE Hunt’s 24 oz Ketchup when I buy 2 packages of Hebrew National Beef Franks priced at 2 for just $5.

Pick up the May issue of our CELEBRATE COOKING magazine, you’ll be berry surprised with all the money saving coupons and offers in this issue. Plus in this issue, we are topping off everything with sweet delicious strawberries! So…come by, pick up a magazine and start saving!